Sick
by muggleborn.dragon.ryder
Summary: Everybody at Camp Half-Blood is slightly wary of the son of Hades. Nico gives them a wide berth in return. So, naturally, a sick Nico does not raise many sympathies, except from the son of Poseidon. No slash, just brotherly fluff. Rated T just in case, but it's really more K. Explanations inside. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS**

**Alright, listen. This is set after The Last Olympian, but before The Lost Hero. I was rereading the series, but the only book I remember anything about whatsoever is the Lightning Thief. So, I have absolutely no idea what happened in the last book. BUT I REMEMBER BECKENDORF ;-; **

**Anyway, it seemed logical to me that after the battle with Kronos, Chiron probably would have applied safety measures controlling transportation and temporarily banned campers from leaving camp, maybe. Once everything was settled again, Chiron lifted the ban and they were allowed to leave camp again, but the transportation safety measures were still an issue, and thus, Nico could not shadow travel. I think that's really all I have to say. Plus also, THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC, PEOPLE! Nico is not interested in Percy romantically, Percy is not interested in Nico romantically! I shipped them as brothers before HoH, and I still do. I HAVE NOT READ THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE SPOILERS. **

**I'm not very experienced at writing Percy Jackson, so this mightttt be crappy. It's my first attempt at a chapter story that has an actual plot in the PJO fandom. **

* * *

By the gods, Nico really hated Zeus sometimes.

Right now, of course, it wasn't just Zeus he hated. He could also easily blame Chiron, and, though he was loathe to admit it, himself for the situation in which he now found himself. He could have listened to Percy, and let the son of Poseidon know where he was going before leaving camp, but of course, his pride had gotten in the way and he had gone right past Half-Blood Hill and down into New York.

And now, standing shivering, sodden and miserable on a rainy street, squinting around in the gray gloom for any sign of Half-Blood Hill, he was beginning to regret his rashness. Ever since Percy had gently taken him aside and informed him that summoning the dead using root beer and cheeseburgers was simply not the done thing at Camp Half-Blood, and that maybe Nico should try cutting it back a little, the dark-haired boy had known he'd be leaving the camp often, no matter what Chiron said. And Chiron had said a lot following the war with Kronos.

For the first week or so, Nico really had stayed in the camp like a good little half-blood, but after a bit, he'd started getting major cabin fever. Literally.

After a week spent counting the skulls in the Hades cabin, even though he knew how many there were anyway, Nico had deemed it time for a little trip to the real world. He hadn't strayed far from camp, he really hadn't. So why had seven different monsters cornered him at different times already? He'd only been away from the camp for an hour, maybe two. And he could sense danger from somewhere around him, like maybe one of the pedestrians was yet another monster. Nico was tired, but he knew if it came down to it, he could fight. When you were a son of Hades, you carried a Stygian sword and the power to raise the dead, monsters didn't tend to last long against you.

Still, he wasn't eager for more monsters, even if he could fight them off. He was shaking from cold and stumbling a little from all the rain. To top it off, he was receiving odd looks from the mortals. He couldn't fathom what they saw; all he knew was that he was a boy with dark clothing, a skull ring, and a Stygian sword and he tended to unsettle people just by walking in the room. Even other demigods seemed a little uncomfortable around him. Perhaps it was the faint smell of the Underworld lingering on him, or just the fact that he was Hades' son to begin with. Unconsciously, he tugged his sword closer to his side, quickening his pace as the pine tree came in sight once more. Chiron might have allowed half-bloods in and out of camp again after the war with Kronos, but the damn centaur still restricted methods of passage in and out. Otherwise, the whole trip would have been cut an hour shorter, and Nico could have shadow traveled back to camp.

A powerful cough overtook him as he stumbled over the crest of the hill, and so he bent there for a moment, shivering violently now and thankful that it didn't rain in Camp Half-Blood unless they wished it. And right now, he most certainly did not wish it. He sank onto the hill, gazing out at the strawberry fields and the volleyball pit for a second before reluctantly coaxing himself to his feet again. If Percy saw him there, he'd automatically assume the worst. Nico trudged back to his cabin, ignoring the curious looks from other campers as he passed by. They had nothing to be curious about. Chiron allowed campers to leave all the time now. So why were they staring at him again?

The boy couldn't help feeling fidgety and agitated as he reached his cabin, eased the door open and slipped inside. Though he was cold, his exhaustion outweighed his discomfort, and he decided a nap was in order first.

* * *

The nap was nice, but when Nico awoke again, he knew that he wasn't moving for another century or so. Rolling over onto his stomach, he groaned, reaching up to put a hand to his pounding head. His throat burned like fire with every swallow, and it was pitch black outside his cabin window. He hadn't wanted the window, but Percy had wanted the window, despite the fact that Percy wasn't even living in the cabin with him. Needless to say, Percy had gotten the window.

Nico dragged himself up onto his elbows with a groan, regretting this instantly as his stomach lurched from the movement. He stilled until the sudden wave of nausea passed, trying to figure out, around the awful throbbing in his head, why he felt so horrible. Sure, he had fought seven monsters yesterday, but he wasn't that weak. Maybe he was sorely out of practice? Maybe the Stoll brothers had poisoned his food. That would be likely. They appeared to be the only people in Camp Half-Blood, besides Annabeth, Percy and Grover, who weren't wary of him.

Despite the fact that he'd just woken from a very long nap, Nico already felt fatigue dragging at him again. If the Stoll brothers had poisoned his food, he thought sleepily to himself as he carefully eased back down onto the pillow and closed his eyes, he would get them back for it somehow. But right now he needed to go back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Um. Hi. I know it's been awhile, can you guys please forgive me for that? I promise I will update chapter three sooner, okay? That's a promise. I hope you can forgive me. Um, in better, happier news...Happy New Year :D And the brotherly Percy/Nico shall start up next chapter. This was just a set-up, really. Like last chapter, I guess, except some more fun because Nico/Percy banter xD **

* * *

Okay. This couldn't be the work of the Stoll brothers. They'd pranked Nico before (much to his displeasure, and Percy's amusement) and none of their pranks ever felt like…like this. Connor and Travis Stoll were actually surprisingly careful when it came to pranks. They made sure to never seriously hurt anyone and, as Nico was feeling more and more certain by the minute that he'd be visiting his father a lot earlier than planned this week, he had to conclude that the two Hermes boys weren't the culprits.

Nico had been hoping that a nice long sleep would make the last of the effects of whatever this was go away, but when he awoke again, his head was pounding more furiously than ever. He suspected the headache might have been due to the bright sunlight streaming in through that damn window, so he rolled over in bed and grabbed at the pillow to shield his eyes. Why had he allowed Percy to put in a window, anyway? To please the stupid demigod? Yeah, that was probably it.

He winced as another wave of pain ripped through his skull and, almost on cue, the door to his cabin flew open with a bang. He was up almost instantly, reaching for his Stygian sword out of pure habit. He growled to himself when he realized the sillehoutte was undoubtedly human. Most demigods avoided his cabin like the plague. Even Chiron tried his hardest not to go anywhere near it. So what kid had the balls to just burst in here without knocking, especially when Nico was in an especially unpleasant mood? He'd bet every drachma he owned that it was one of the Ares kids.

"Mr. D just wanted to know if we were fortunate enough for Nigel Andrews to have kicked the bucket in the night," Percy Jackson slouched into the room, his arms folded over his chest. His thick, dark hair flopped resolutely into his eyes as he sprawled himself out on the bed.

Nico glared at him. "My name's not Nigel."

"I know," Percy told him. "That's all Mr. D. He calls us by the wrong names on purpose to show how he doesn't give a shit about us. Get up, c'mon – I refuse to let you sulk in your cabin all day."

"Percy…" Nico dragged out the older demigod's name, half-hoping he'd pick up on how miserable the son of Hades felt. He could really do without Percy Jackson trying to get him to be sociable today. He hesitantly put a hand to his mouth as nausea roiled through him, unsettling his stomach. He also didn't want to vomit in front of Percy, either, although better Percy than any other camper.

Nico had fallen back on the pillows, but now he pushed himself up shakily on unsteady elbows, hoping Percy might have disappeared in that time. Nope, he hadn't. Just his luck. Nico groaned as the son of Poseidon frowned at him. A glimmer of concern sparking in his green eyes, Percy spoke. "Are you okay?" He finally got the hint and dropped his voice a little, which did wonders for Nico's headache.

The son of Hades shook his head a little to clear it. "Yeah…I'm fine," he mumbled, running his fingers through his thick black hair. "Just…keep your voice down okay, I have a headache to rival hellhound damage." He winced, putting two fingers to his temples and massaging slowly. This did not help.

Percy dropped his voice even lower. "Nico, are you sure you're okay?"

The younger demigod snapped his eyes open and gave his fiercest glare. If there was one thing he hated anyone doing, no matter who they were, it was worrying about him. He could look after himself just fine! In fact, he had looked after himself for the better part of two years! He sure as Hades didn't need Percy's concern.

"Yes, I'm _fine_." He spaced out each word carefully, even emphasizing the last one so the son of the sea god would get the message: worrying over him was not allowed.

Percy frowned, obviously not convinced. "You look really tired."

"No, I'm not. I'm absolutely fine. You're the one who was encouraging me just two minutes ago to get out of my cabin more often." Nico kicked off his covers to display his physical state, but Percy's cool hand found his forehead, and he settled back down in surprise.

"Nico, you're really hot."

"Yeah, I know," the son of Hades sighed, "but you've got Annabeth, and to be honest, there's this really cute Aphrodite girl—

"I'm serious." Apparently, Percy had decided Nico wasn't dying, because he swatted him lightly on the shoulder as he talked. "You're burning up – I think you've got a fever."

"Right, because I forgot your demigod powers include being a human thermometer," Nico snarked. "Honestly, Percy, I'm fine. Now let me up."

"Hang on." The older demigod still wasn't done. "Since when do you have anywhere to be? You probably would have stayed in your cabin all day if I hadn't come in here!"

"I don't know." Nico batted at Percy's hand – it was hovering dangerously close to his forehead again, and he definitely didn't want any more fussing about a fever. "But maybe some of the campers need help with something. I'll go check."

"You hate helping people," Percy reminded him.

Nico rolled his dark eyes. "I don't hate helping people. I hate_ people_. In general."

"That clears that up," the older demigod replied sarcastically. "Honestly, Nico, where did you go yesterday?"

Somehow, the son of Hades became aware that he was laying down again, his head resting on the pillows. Exhaustion welled up, dragging his heavy eyes closed. He struggled to stay in the moment. "How did you know I went somewhere? Did Chiron find out?"

"No, but you just confirmed it for me," Percy informed him, eliciting a groan from the younger boy. "Oh, hush, you're not exactly subtle. I had my suspicions anyway. Did you get caught in that rainstorm yesterday? I could hear it all the way from Cabin Three."

Nico gave up trying to evade the questions. "I don't know how, but seven monsters caught me within eighteen minutes. I'd barely set foot outside Camp Half-Blood when the first one came at me."

"What can you expect?" Percy's sympathy was clearly limited. "Nico, you're a demigod. And you're a son of _Hades_. You can't just waltz right out of camp and expect monsters not to notice."

Nico closed his eyes. "I don't know what I was expecting. I just needed a break from this place. I needed to be alone."

"You're _always _alone."

Nico opened his eyes in surprise at the steady response. Percy would never know how right he was.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Guys, I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry omg I completely forgot this story existed, I'm sorry here is chapter 3 please don't abandon me D: I know it doesn't make up for like three and a half months of silence, but I had a really shitty week. I did. And March was a really busy month for me, and it turns out a lot of people who read Overachiever were born in February, so I mostly worked on that one during that month anddd January...yeah, I'm out of excuses. Nothing for January. Just that I'm basically a shitbucket. I'm sorry. I will attempt to do better next time, and that is a sincere promise. I promise, I really, really do. **

* * *

Nico hadn't really planned anything special for the day – he was thinking, without any degree of sincerity, about venturing back into the mortal world for a bit – but even if he had, the plans would have been cancelled. Percy was being irrational and unhelpful, insisting that he get lots of rest and try some soup or…

"Ambrosia!" Maybe if he had some, and started feeling better, Percy would leave him alone.

Percy crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow skeptically, as if he was following Nico's train of thought perfectly. For an instant, there was silence between the two demigods before… "Yeahhh, sure." Percy dragged out the word sarcastically. "Do you listen to anything Chiron tells you? I mean, _ever_?"

"Well, actually, I make it a point not to," Nico told him.

Somebody who didn't know the son of Hades might have assumed he was joking, but Percy knew Nico was not the type to make jokes – or even laugh at them, for that matter – so he merely rolled his eyes, but allowed the comment to slide. "Then you probably don't know that demigods are never supposed to eat ambrosia when they get sick."

"Oh." You had to hand it to Percy – he was perhaps the only demigod in the history of ever capable of making Nico feel stupid. He swallowed. "Why, exactly?"

Percy gave a huff. "Your immune system is already freaking out because of this foreign illness, so adding ambrosia to the mix could make it freak out even more. We can only handle small amounts when we're badly injured – a sickness isn't technically an injury, so you're out of luck." He shrugged, putting his hand to Nico's forehead again. "I'm going to go find a thermometer. Stay there."

Nico sighed in complete exasperation. "You were just telling me not to sulk in my cabin all day. Which is it? Bed rest, or non-sulkery?"

"Rest," Percy responded without looking up from opening the cabin door. "For now."

Nico blew out a breath. His dark hair swayed in the sudden breeze. But despite his complaints, he was all too willing to listen to what Percy said about rest. He would only close his eyes for a minute or two, just until Percy got back…

* * *

"Nico? Nico?"

The young demigod groaned as sleep deserted him, burying his face in his pillow with a groan. "Percy. Leave me alone." But, with his voice slurred from sleep and muffled by the pillow, it came out sounding like, "rrccccyyyyyy. Lee me 'lone."

"No. C'mon, I gotta take your temperature."

Nico heard a beep as the thermometer clicked on, and another groan escaped him. "Go away," he muttered. "I want to sleep."

"This will only take a few minutes," Percy promised.

Nico sat up in bed, his dark hair sticking out at odd angles. "I don't _care_. I'm_ tired_."

Percy looked supremely unsympathetic. "Open."

The young demigod considered keeping his mouth closed, out of spite, but opened it anyway, as the former option would do him no good, and would also be vastly immature. So he reluctantly opened his mouth, and Percy stuck the thermometer under his tongue. It took a second to read, but when it did, Percy yanked it out and looked at the reading before Nico could. His brows drew down in concern.

"What is it?" Nico made a grab for the object, but came away unsuccessful. "Let me see."

"One hundred point three." Percy didn't surrender the thermometer, but he did click it off with another little beep. "So, it's not that bad – probably nothing to be worried over, but still…we should keep an eye on it."

"Glad to hear it." Nico flopped back on the pillow. "_Now_, will you let me sleep?"

Percy grinned at the venom in the younger boy's tone. "Yeah, sure. Get some rest."

Nico's thanks was to mutter a barbed comment about "that damn window" again before rolling over, so his back was to Percy. Even underneath the wrinkled, black long-sleeved shirt he wore, Percy could see the thin shoulder blades, poking sharply up, visible even through skin.

"I gotta go." Percy rested the thermometer on the bedside table, taking to his feet again and already heading for the door. "I promised Annabeth—

"You're leaving?" Nico wondered if it was relief that colored his tone. It wasn't what he felt. He actually felt just a little bit lonely at the idea that Percy was leaving him.

The older demigod frowned, before a goofy smile took over his face again. "Can't get enough of me?" he teased.

Nico flushed. _Not_ relief, then.

"I'll be back soon, unless you were like, dying for me to stay, or something?"

Nico was fairly certain this was a pun about his dad, but deciding to ignore it, he rolled his eyes at his friend. "Yeah, sure. Don't flatter yourself. Get out."

"Nico, I can stay if you need—

"No." His tone was flat and sharp. "Go away." He sank back down into the comfort of his bed with a deep sigh, and there was really nothing for Percy to do except walk out, closing the door behind him.


End file.
